LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Clippers were hoping to start the regular season healthy, but that won't be the case this time around. Terance Mann, who was expected to start for the Clippers, will be sidelined for the team's home opener against the Portland Trail Blazers with a sprained left ankle. In his place, the Clippers are expected to start Robert Covington.
Robert Covington will start for the Clippers tonight in place of Terance Mann, says Tyronn Lue.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 26, 2023
Speaking to reporters before Clippers-Blazers, head coach Tyronn Lue said he would start Covington with because he would, ‘be a good fit for tonight.'
Terance Mann's ankle sprain is not considered to hold him out for an extended period of time, and he was in great spirits before the game despite being in a bulky walking boot. Mann says he was contesting a shot when his left ankle was stepped on and rolled.
The final starting spot for the Clippers appeared to be between Terance Mann, Robert Covington, and Nicolas Batum, with Mann edging the latter two for the position. Batum has long favored coming off the bench and providing anything the team needed him to. Covington would've also had a strong role off the Clippers bench had Mann been healthy.
Clippers starters vs. Blazers:
Russell Westbrook
Paul George
Kawhi Leonard
Robert Covington
Ivica Zubac— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 26, 2023
While Mann is not healthy, the Clippers will have both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back and ready to go for the start of the 2023-24 season. Wednesday's game marks the first time the two-way stars are available and starting a season-opener together since the 2020-21 season, which came after a brief offseason due to the previously shortended COVID-season and NBA bubble.
“We're excited about it, just having both guys healthy is very important to us,” Tyronn Lue told reporters ahead of the opener against the Blazers. “And then just giving our fans something to be happy about. I know it's a long season, but having Kawhi and PG both in the starting lineup, being able to play tonight with no restrictions, it's good to see. I'm happy for PG and Kawhi as well, all the hard work they had to put in to get to this point. We're very excited. We're excited, hoe our fans are excited. We're ready to go.”
Throughout training camp, the Clippers had been playing faster with an emphasis on up-tempo basketball and being a better defensive team. Tonight's game against an upstart Blazers team starting Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Jerami Grant, and Deandre Ayton, so it'll be interesting to see how the Clippers fare with the younger team.
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